Navy Bean Soup with sour cream and dill

this recipe was created by Janette Turner who plans the What's for dinner recipes at the wedge. we sampled this at the wedge coop last week and my kids gobbled it up. serve with bread, salad, chips, or ham sandwiches!

2T butter
1 1/2 cups navy beans, soaked 12-24 hours
6 cups water
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 1/2 tsp dill , i used a couple fresh Tablespoons
1/4tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream

1. warm butter in a soup pot. add onions and celery
2. add beans and water, bring to a boil. skim off foam.
3. add dill, bay leaf and pepper. cook one hour, stirring
4. add salt and sour cream. stir well and adjust for salt.

Coconut, Shrimp, and Corn Chowder, from Real Simple

a family favorite, quick and filling!
the recipe calls for shrimp, and i often add scallops, but i really liked the pieces of talapia added this time and will continue to add some sort of white fish in the future.

1 TB olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (peeled, if desired), cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 cups corn
1 13 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. add the garlic, potatoes, and corn and stir to coat. add the coconut milk, broth, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. add the shrimp and simmer until pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
serve with bread.

Beef Barley Soup

This is a recipe I've never made in a single batch. I have always done one or two double batches, because it's a really simple one-pot meal. So great for families that are sick or just had a new baby, it's a standard of mine and one I'm still not sick of.

Beef Barley Soup (adapted from Cooking Light, January 2005)

Ingredients
Cooking spray
~ 2 pounds beef stew meat, trimmed and cut into small pieces (larger pieces will take longer to become really soft; I prefer pretty small pieces, about 1/2 - 1 inch, but whatever you like will work)
2 teaspoons canola oil (I used a coconut oil)
2 cups chopped leek (about 4 medium; tips for cleaning here) (I switched this up in my last batch with pearl onions, and it was YUMMY)
2 cups chopped carrot
1-2 cups quartered mushrooms (any kind works great)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
~4 springs fresh thyme, leaves stripped (dried thyme also works fine)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 bay leaves
2 (14-ounce) cans beef or vegetable broth (I usually use my homemade vegetable stock which has a nice rich flavor) (I left this out last time and it was still perfect)
1 cup uncooked pearl barley (I used brown rice last time and that was also GREAT. I used about half to three quarters the amount called for because rice puffs up so much more than barley)

Steps
1. Coat pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Add a portion of the beef (don't crowd the pan or else it won't brown), cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef. Remove beef from pan.

2. Heat canola oil in soup pot/dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leek, carrot, mushrooms and garlic; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Return beef to pan. Add water and remaining ingredients, except barley. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer approximately 1 hour (the cooking time is different every time I make it). When the beef is almost ready (soft) and the broth is tasty, add barley; cook 30 minutes or until beef and barley are tender. Don't forget to remove bay leaves before serving!

Golash!

We all love this hearty stew from veganchef.com. It is a little work to peel the squash, but i have subbed out butternut (which is really smooth and easy to peel) and it tastes great.

2 cups onion, diced
2 t. olive oil
1 T. tomato paste
5 cups vegetable stock, divided
2 cups acorn or delicata squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups turnips, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups carrot, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups celery (including the green tops), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 T. ground cumin
2 t. paprika
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 - 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley
2 cups couscous
1/2 t. salt
2 T. freshly chopped dill

In a large pot, saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the tomato paste, stir well to coat the onions, and saute an additional minute to release its flavor. Add 2 cups vegetable stock, acorn squash, butternut, turnips, carrot, celery, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir well to combine. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage, zucchini, and chickpeas, stir well, cover, and simmer an additional 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add 3 T. chopped parsley, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, place the remaining 3 cups vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Add the couscous and salt, cover, remove from the heat, and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and stir in the remaining chopped parsley and chopped dill, and fluff lightly to incorporate. Serve individual servings in bowls and top with a sprinkle of additional ground cumin, if desired.

Serves 8-10

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

this soup's just home-cookin' at it's best! It IS our classic "sick soup" and that's how it got... fine-tuned, I guess, because we've made it quite a few times.

A four-pound(ish) whole chicken
3 quarts water
a few bay leaves
an onion
a few of the inner stalks of celery with leaves
some peppercorns

(this is loosely based on a Splendid Table recipe for stock)

Stick all of this in a giant pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for about ten minutes and then shut if off. Leave it in the pot with the lid on for an hour, and when you open it up the whole chicken should be done and silky (if not leave it with the lid on for another half an hour). Once it's cool enough to handle, de-bone the chicken and discard all the yucky bits. Break up the chicken. Strain the stock. Now you're ready to go.

Four (or so) whole carrots, sliced
Four (or so) stalks of celery, sliced
A giant onion, chopped
Four (or so) sprigs fresh thyme (I like a lot of this and would have liked to have doubled the amount in my soup from yesterday but ran out)
Sea salt
Pepper
Three cloves garlic, chopped

Saute all of this in a couple of tablespoons olive oil for about five minutes or so, until the veggies are tender but not browned. Add all the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then you'll drop the noodles in. After you do this and simmer them for 12-15 minutes, you'll fold in all that chicken you made stock with and sprinkle a good handful or two of chopped fresh parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Done!

The egg noodles are from a recipe from Marc's parents and they are (as you well know by now) TO DIE FOR...

3 eggs beat until fluffy, then mix in 1/3 c. milk and 1 t. salt
Add 2 cups flour (all-purpose is way yummier than whole wheat for this), use a wooden spoon and take your time. I hate this part!
Knead in 1/2 c. flour by hand (this also takes forever; Marc is super patient and amazing with any and all dough!)
Flour table or counter heavily; roll out putting a little flour on top and on rolling pin so it doesn't stick. Roll out to about 20' diameter (REALLY thin). Let sit for 10 or 15 minutes. Then we use a pizza cutter and cut the noodles thin and in half a few times (they really plump up). And there you go. Drop 'em in to boiling soup and turn down the heat to simmering. Delish!!